GPU lease checklist
Guide · Updated 14 October 2026
Before you sign a reserved GPU lease, check twelve things: the ready-for-service date and what happens if it slips, when the term starts, the prepayment, the SLA and its credits, maintenance windows, hardware replacement, power and who carries the tariff, the network fabric, take-or-pay and termination, assignment, and the export-control and KYC clauses.
GB300 NVL72 and B300 leases run for years and start on sites that are often still being built. The price per GPU-hour is one line of the contract; the rest decides what you actually pay and when you get the GPUs.
The checklist
- Ready-for-service date. A fixed date in the contract, not "targeted". Ask what counts as delivered: racks installed, or capacity accepted after your tests.
- Delay remedies. What you get if the date slips: credits or liquidated damages per day of delay, a grace period, and a right to terminate after a long delay. Large public contracts have all three; Nebius's agreement with Microsoft, for example, includes liquidated damages for late delivery and a grace period (SEC filing). Typical cure periods, the time to fix a breach before the other side may terminate, are 30 to 45 days for material breach and non-payment (AM Compute).
- Term start. At signing or at first live capacity. If it starts at signing and the site is late, you pay for months without GPUs.
- Prepayment. How much (25% to 30% of the contract value is common in our offers), what it is calculated on, when it is credited back, and whether it is protected if the operator fails to deliver.
- SLA and credits. The uptime target, how it is measured and over what window, what is excluded, and what you get when it is missed. Credits are often the only remedy (OneSource Cloud, GPUaaS).
- Maintenance windows. How often and how long, with how much notice, and whether they count against the SLA.
- Hardware replacement. How fast a failed GPU or node is replaced, and whether you pay for capacity that is down.
- Power. Whether electricity is in the rate or billed separately, and who carries tariff changes over a multi-year term. A GB300 NVL72 rack is built for about 132 kW.
- Network fabric. InfiniBand or Ethernet (RoCE, Spectrum-X), bandwidth per GPU, and egress charges.
- Take-or-pay and termination. Reservations are often take-or-pay, and some large contracts carry no right to cancel early (Compute Law). Check termination for the operator's breach, notice and cure periods, and what happens to the prepayment.
- Assignment. Whether the operator can transfer the contract to a lender or another company, and whether you can move capacity to an affiliate.
- Export control and KYC. Operators check who owns the buyer and where it is headquartered as part of their export-control compliance, and may monitor who accesses the GPUs and from where (Morrison Foerster). Expect a KYC request and clauses on access.
Questions to ask the operator
- Is the hardware already ordered, and when was the order placed?
- Is the site powered and liquid-cooled today, or under construction?
- What happened on your last delivery: on time or late, and by how much?
- Can the term start at acceptance rather than at signing?
How we use it
We bring every offer to the same lines before you compare them, and we read the operator's contract terms with you before you sign. How it works.
Send a request
Requirements are handled confidentially and shared with operators only on a need-to-know basis, never with your name attached before you approve it. We reply within one business day from dima@ancapex.io.
FAQ
What should a GPU lease agreement include?
A fixed ready-for-service date with delay remedies, a clear term start, the prepayment terms, an SLA with credits, maintenance and replacement rules, power and network terms, termination and assignment clauses, and export-control and KYC terms.
What happens if the GPU provider delivers late?
Only what the contract says. Look for credits or liquidated damages per day of delay, a grace period, and a right to terminate after a long delay, plus the return of your prepayment.
What is take-or-pay in a GPU contract?
You pay for the reserved capacity for the whole term whether you use it or not. Reserved GPU contracts often work this way, and some cannot be cancelled early.
How much prepayment is normal for a GPU lease?
In our offers, often 25% to 30% of the contract value at signing.
Why do GPU providers ask for KYC?
Export-control compliance: operators check who owns the buyer and where it is headquartered, and may monitor access to the GPUs. Expect company documents and ownership details.
